Holiday travel could be slowed by 3 work zones

Marc Shepherd, Texas Department of Transportation

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, June 29, 2014

Workers are installing the last massive concrete column that will support the new eastbound main lanes of the Neches River (Purple Heart Memorial) Bridge. The new lanes likely will begin to be take shape in July, said Sarah Dupre, spokeswoman for the Beaumont district of the Texas Department of Transportation. When the new main lanes are laid, the department will shift east and westbound traffic from the westside segment of the bridge to the new lanes and repeat the process on the western segment in the $59 million project to rebuild the bridge. Closing of the on-ramp from downtown Beaumont to eastbound Interstate 10 in connection with the project still is a few months away, Dupre said. Meanwhile, the department has begun the reconstruction of the last four miles of Interstate 10 near Orange to the Sabine River. That $68 million project will take up to four years to complete. Preparations to widen the shoulder from Simmons Drive eastbound is the first part.
Photo taken Monday, June 02, 2014
Guiseppe Barranco/@spotnewsshooter
Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, Photo Editor

Workers are installing the last massive concrete column that will...

Workers are installing the last massive concrete column that will support the new eastbound main lanes of the Neches River (Purple Heart Memorial) Bridge. The new lanes likely will begin to be take shape in July, said Sarah Dupre, spokeswoman for the Beaumont district of the Texas Department of Transportation. When the new main lanes are laid, the department will shift east and westbound traffic from the westside segment of the bridge to the new lanes and repeat the process on the western segment in the $59 million project to rebuild the bridge. Closing of the on-ramp from downtown Beaumont to eastbound Interstate 10 in connection with the project still is a few months away, Dupre said. Meanwhile, the department has begun the reconstruction of the last four miles of Interstate 10 near Orange to the Sabine River. That $68 million project will take up to four years to complete. Preparations to widen the shoulder from Simmons Drive eastbound is the first part.
Photo taken Monday, June 02, 2014
Guiseppe Barranco/@spotnewsshooter
Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, Photo Editor

Workers are installing the last massive concrete column that will...

A driver takes the new Delaware Street exit ramp Sunday evening, the first new ramp of the Eastex Freeway project to open. The ramp that leads from Interstate 10 to Delaware Street opened after 5 p.m. Sunday. Northbound drivers can now exit to the frontage road to reach Delaware instead of merging with Eastex traffic, which should ease rush hour stop-and-go traffic.
Photo: Brooke Crum/@broocrum

A driver takes the new Delaware Street exit ramp Sunday evening,...

New signs that went up Friday point motorists to detours when sections of Interstate 10 might be closed. One sign is on Eastex Freeway near Delaware Street. Another is on U.S. 90 near Major Drive. Other signs will be in Chambers and Orange counties. Courtesy photos, Texas Department of Transportation.
Photo: TxDOT

New signs that went up Friday point motorists to detours when...

The Cow Bayou swing bridge on Texas 87, left, was built in 1941 and gave Bridge City its name. TxDOT was ready to tear it down for a more modern structure like the one next to it that takes traffic southbound. But now TxDOT is restoring the bridge and will even put on a new bridge-keeper shed.The Texas Historical Commission is proposing the bridge be listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. Pete Churton/The Enterprise
Photo: Pete Churton

Nearly 238 years ago, the British subjects in America - enough of them to make it matter - were ready to put King George III's head on a pike.

While colonial teens might have considered independence to be the keys to pop's horse and buggy, the genuine article took years to achieve until King George's forces departed in 1783.

Independence to American teens still are pop's keys, but in stop-and-go traffic, particularly with a Fourth of July holiday destination gleaming from the GPS on your smart phone, many still want someone's head on a pike.

We might have won independence from England, but not highway work zones.

On any given day, the Texas Department of Transportation has about 1,000 work zones across Texas. We can't promise you construction-free highways but we can help you avoid highway "fizzles" that keep you from enjoying the sparkle in your Fourth of July travels.

With the exception of emergency road repairs, TxDOT does not have any scheduled holiday lane closures in the Beaumont area. TxDOT wants to keep the traffic moving.

Many holiday travelers will venture to unfamiliar territory and knowing where some construction projects are located may help you plan for a better drive.

- The Neches River (Purple Heart Memorial) Bridge project. On a regular workday, the average, eastbound rush-hour traffic can slow to a crawl. Throw in some holiday traffic and you could see some long delays.

Interestingly, the eastbound slowdown is not because of daily lane closures. Instead, most of the delay comes from narrow travel lanes on the bridge and the high number of merging drivers between College and downtown Beaumont.

Westbound traffic from Orange County is not so much of a problem because there aren't entrance ramps close to the bridge.

All traffic temporarily shares the westbound bridge as workers build a new eastbound bridge. Expect that to continue through the rest of the year and into early 2015. Afterward, it's the same song with a different verse. All traffic will be shifted to the new eastbound bridge as workers build a new westbound bridge. The $58 million project is slated to be completed in 2016.

- Eastex Freeway ramp reversal. Road crews are inching their way northbound on a $27 million project to reduce congestion. Workers have widened some of the frontage roads between Interstate 10 and Texas 105 and are preparing to "punch" through the 11th Street overpass to extend a northbound frontage road and exit ramp to the Lucas Drive intersection.

Practically all work happens behind concrete barriers. Any lane closures take place at night. The narrow travel lanes and temporary 55 mph speed limit often slows traffic. If you are anywhere near Eastex this coming weekend, expect some delays, especially during fireworks time. Otherwise, your travels along this highway should be pretty easy.

- Cow Bayou swing bridge. Even Bridge City can't escape road work. The $9.5 million Texas 87 swing bridge replacement project means the entire bridge is closed to traffic. The historic bridge is being renovated while still keeping its historical look. Eastbound traffic shares the westbound bridge. So be careful around the transition point at the foot of the bridge as traffic narrows and often slows.

It's a red, white and blue weekend, but it's also orange barrels and concrete barriers. The good news is that barring any emergency road work, don't expect lane closures. Add that to your celebration of Independence Day.